I don’t do a whole lot of experimenting when it comes to beauty and style routines, but last month was different. Impulse purchases led me, on three occasions, to discover a few new tricks I’ll be coming back to…
Curling a Spin-and-Curl Curling Iron.
I did some crowdsourcing on Instagram, asking for curling iron recommendations after wasting a lot of time fiddling with mine one night with poor results. The top three recs were: Kristin Ess (which has a really interesting pivot feature), Hot Tools, a flatiron, and the Dyson Air Wrap. But when I went to Target that same day, they were out of the Kristin Ess and I spotted an option that got one lone recommendation but has lots of great reviews: the Chi Spin-and-Curl.
Having always been curious about these sorts of auto-gadgets, I watched a quick video while standing in the heat-tools aisle and then decided to try it out. Here’s the promise: “Hair is drawn into the curl chamber where it is heated and timed to create perfect curls and waves every time.”
I gave it a try that night and couldn’t stop laughing as it sucked my hair up and then left me with ringlets of the Shirley Temple variety. But lo-and-behold, they looked kind of awesome when I tugged on them and straightened them out a bit—until they were very Carrie à la Sex and the City season six. I then used a flatiron to take some of the curl out of the ends to get them to look a bit less perfect.
It’s sort of a one-trick pony. You can’t get the variety of looks you could from a curling iron, but it’s really fast and really easy!
Conclusion: I worry a bit more about needing to use additional heat on the ends of my hair with this method, but it is way easier for me if I want full-on waves. It’s quick and hard to mess up—and I appreciate the burn-protection (the outside stays cool)! It also releases easily if you put in too large a section.
Press-On Nails.
I was scrolling through Instagram one night and came across someone raving about press-on nails—saying how far they’ve come since I was a kid. I had a party to go to, no time (nor patience) for a manicure, and had stress-chewed-up a couple of nails, so I ran into the drugstore and bought a box of ImPress Nails.
It took me maybe 15 minutes to put them on and then trim them WAY down to a length that felt right for me, and I LOVED them! I chose a red with an accent nail, but just skipped that one. I got one on wrong at first, but there are plenty of extras in the box for a do-over.
They were super-sturdy and stayed on through showers and all the mundane routine for a week (at which point I decided to remove them, but I think they could have gone longer).
At one point I trimmed them again, to keep the short look, and it is a bit annoying to get down to the gummy, pre-sticky bit under the nail, but I liked the peel-and-stick ease and might still choose it over glue (though they make one with that option).
When I felt ready to go back to nude nails, I used an orange-stick to gently remove them. My nail underneath seemed completely un-bothered (not weak, like after a Gel manicure), which was a huge relief! I read that some people like to paint their own nails before applying to protect them, but I would imagine they might not last as long that way.
Conclusion: Would definitely do this again! My nails actually look better now than before because I didn’t mess with them for a week.
Renting Clothes.
Aron and I are going to a birthday party in Palm Springs in a bit and one of the nights has a dress-theme. Rather than buy something new, I started to look at rental sites. I came across one called Nuuly that really stood out to me.
It’s owned by the same folks as Free People, Anthropologie, and Urban Outfitters, so a lot of the stock is what you’d find in those stores. It occurred to me that if I like it, maybe I could pay a monthly fee to enjoy that feeling of getting new clothes to wear without actually buying anything. It would probably be a savings over the year, and less wasteful. So while I came for the dress, I’m actually most excited about everyday stuff.
So far, I used it mostly for special occasions: I chose a sparkly top for New Years, a plaid dress I wore on Christmas (pictured), and a couple of outfit options for the party weekend. But I also chose a utility suit that I’m wearing right now and LOVE. I would happily put on everyday. (It will be hard to give up. I could buy it, if I wanted to—from Nuuly or here.)
You choose six items for $88/month. It all came quickly, in a zipped, fabric box (no extra packaging), and included a little kit with things like fabric-tape and wrinkle-release.
Conclusion: I’m really happy with my first month’s box. The jury is still out when it comes to the ease of exchanging and choosing new items, but I’m feeling optimistic. And I like that you can pause the service when needed. Will definitely continue on. (P.S. If you try it, here’s my referral code? We each get $20 off.)
All three things were a win for me!
Have you tried any fun new style or beauty things lately? Any trends you’re playing with?
P.S. Odd beauty treatments I’ve tried, Testing out the Keto Diet, and my first facial. Plus, more Style. (Also, sorry for the messy state of my closet in these!)
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